Select Board Votes To Implement Four-Way Stop At Surfside And Miacomet Roads Intersection On Trial Basis

Do you prioritize traffic safety over traffic congestion? Or vice versa?

That was the consideration Wednesday night as the Select Board reviewed a proposal to implement a four-way stop at the intersection of Surfside Road, Miacomet Road, and Surfside Drive. The board ultimately voted unanimously to move forward with the plan by adding stop signs to Surfside Road at the intersection on a trial basis starting in April through Town Meeting on May 4, when voters will consider a citizen petition to implement the four-way stop permanently.

"Ultimately, I think this debate revolves around the weighing of the importance of traffic safety versus congestion," said DPW director Drew Patnode, who presented the proposal to the Select Board on Wednesday. "As is many times the case, I have seen and heard people be pretty vehemently on one side or the other, 'we absolutely need to do this,' or 'there's no way that this is a good idea.' And frankly, I think they're both right. It's just a matter of what your priority is and how you typically use this intersection."

Patnode said the intersection had been the subject of an evaluation by the town in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Jacobs Engineering which concluded a four-way stop was warranted. Between 2021 and 2023, there were seven reported motor vehicle crashes at the Surfside Road / Miacomet Road intersection, Patnode added, of which six were angle crashes that are typically mitigated by conversion to a four-way stop.

"However, the analysis indicates that during the peak season, this modification would increase traffic delays, contributing to congestion and potentially affecting bus operations," Patnode said.

Island resident Walter Flaherty submitted the citizen's warrant article for this spring’s Town Meeting that would see stop signs installed at the intersection permanently. The town is now getting ahead of that proposal.

In an online poll conducted on the Current's Instagram page last week, 53 percent of respondents were in favor of the stop sign proposal, with 47 percent opposed. A total of 1,473 votes were submitted during the 24 hours the poll was open.

Patnode acknowledged that he had seen the poll, and that public opinion could remain split after the trial period.

"My personal take on piloting in general is that I typically feel like there is no such thing as an unsuccessful pilot," he said. "Whether we as a community love or hate the condition, it at least informs us on how to move forward. I did happen to stumble upon the results of an unofficial poll recently, where I think 53 percent of respondents were in favor of this change and 47 percent were against it. So I would just caution that if we do pilot this and we're still split 50/50 we may have our first unsuccessful pilot program in recent history."